My Steve Smith NFL Blog

The Carolina Panthers weren't able to build on their 12-4 NFC South title season of 2008. They won just eight games last season as quarterback Jake Delhomme held the offense back with his turnover problems. The Panthers said goodbye to their long time quarterback this offseason, and now they will turn to fourth-year signal caller Matt Moore, who led the Panthers to four wins in five games in last year's stretch run. More than anything else, the Panthers need Moore to make smart decisions with the football as running backs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams carry the offensive load.

The Panthers typically play good defense, and their performance in 2009 was no exception, but now they are about to experience life without stud pass rusher Julius Peppers.

Offense: Bookend tackles Jordan Gross and Jeff Otah, and Ryan Kalil (center) and Travelle Wharton (left guard), are all key pieces to one of the NFL's best run-blocking units. These guys do the heavy lifting while Stewart and Williams get all the glory. Thanks in part to the boys up front, this dynamic running back duo is perhaps the best in the NFL. Last season, Stewart and Williams combined for 2,250 yards and 17 scores, and both players averaged over five yards per tote. As a result, Carolina boasted the third-best running attack in the entire league.

The running game is certainly Carolina's bread and butter, but the Panthers will have to throw the football more effectively in 2010 if they hope to improve on last year's record. The Panthers finished No. 27 in the league in passing offense in 2009, averaging just 174.9 yards per game. Delhomme was throwing interceptions at such a high rate that the coaching staff completely lost faith in the passing game.

The Panthers are hoping that Moore can pick up where he left off last season. They don't need him to be great, just good. The Panthers will certainly take his 2009 performance when he completed 62 percent of his throw for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions in limited action.

When the Panthers do take to the air, Moore will be looking to hook up with No. 1 wideout Steve Smith. In a down year, Smith still hauled in 65 passes for 982 yards and seven scores.

Defense: Carolina was one of 11 teams to give up less than 20 points per game in 2009. Of those teams, only two failed to make the playoffs. Had the offense been better, Carolina would have had a great opportunity to punch its playoff ticket for a second straight season.

The Panthers were one of the better defensive teams on the all-important third down. They ranked No. 7 in the NFL in third down defense, only giving up the first down 35.5 percent of the time.

This Panthers could slip on third now that Peppers is in the Windy City. His pass rushing ability was crucial on that down last season. Peppers is the Panthers' all-time sacks leader. They're really going to miss a guy that recorded double-digit sacks year in and year out, especially since no one else on the roster had more than five last season.

While I'm not sure who is going to step up to provide some heat on the quarterback (maybe Tyler Brayton), I am sure that the Panthers will need even more leadership and stellar play out of Jon Beason, Thomas Davis and Chris Gamble to help make up for such a huge loss.

Prediction: 3rd NFC South - The Saints, Falcons and Panthers will all contend for the division title in what is becoming one of the NFL's toughest divisions. Any of these three teams can win it, but right now the Panthers look to be a little behind the other two. The NFL is a quarterback's league, and the Falcons and the Saints both have Pro Bowl-caliber signal callers. Be sure to check out my 2010 NFL predictions to see which team I have winning the division.

There has never been a repeat champion of the NFC South Division and the Carolina Panthers were the victims of the South curse last season, following up their 2008 12-4 record and division title with an 8-8 finish and no playoffs last year. And really that 8-8 record was a bit misleading because Carolina had to win its final three games to manage a .500 mark.

Jake Delhomme's turnover-plagued 2008 postseason continued on into 2009 leading Matt Moore, who led the mini-resurgence late in the year, to eventually replace him. Moore is now the starter until 2010 NFL Draft pick Jimmy Clausen is ready, while Delhomme is now a Cleveland Brown. The Panthers ranked just 27th in the NFL in passing last season and may not be much better this year with some major receiver questions outside of Steve Smith, who himself is recovering from a broken arm. Dwayne Jarrett seems likely to start opposite Smith.

But let there be no doubt: this will be a run-heavy team behind DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, arguably the NFL's best running back tandem. Thanks to those two, the Panthers led the NFC in rushing last year and were third overall. Stewart and Williams became the sixth pair of teammates in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

The defense could take a big hit this season as star defensive end Julius Peppers left as a free agent for the Bears - meaning only one defensive line starter is back from last season. And linebacker Thomas Davis, the team's best pass-rushing linebacker, was lost for the season this summer with a torn ACL.

Carolina coach John Fox has never coached two playoff teams in a row at Carolina. If that streak runs to three, look for Fox to be gone and the team to try and lure Bill Cowher out of retirement.

The oddsmakers put Carolina's 2010 NFL season wins total at 'over/under' 7.5. Let's break down the 2010 Carolina Panthers schedule:

Week 1: Sunday, Sep. 12, at NY Giants, 1:00 PM

Week 2: Sunday, Sep. 19, Tampa Bay, 1:00 PM

Week 3: Sunday, Sep. 26, Cincinnati, 1:00 PM

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 3, at New Orleans, 1:00 PM

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 10, Chicago, 1:00 PM

Week 6: BYE

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 24, San Francisco, 1:00 PM

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 31, at St. Louis, 1:00 PM

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 7, New Orleans, 1:00 PM

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 14, at Tampa Bay, 1:00 PM

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 21, Baltimore, 1:00 PM

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 28, at Cleveland, 1:00 PM

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 5, at Seattle, 4:15 PM

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 12, Atlanta, 1:00 PM

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 19, Arizona, 1:00 PM

Week 16: Thursday, Dec. 23, at Pittsburgh, 8:20 PM

Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 2, at Atlanta, 1:00 PM

This is ranked as the seventh-easiest schedule in the NFL this season, with an opponents' 2009 winning percentage of.477 (122-134). Carolina has just five games against playoff teams from last season - it helps that only one NFC South team (Saints) made it.

The Giants will no doubt be out for revenge in the grand opening of the New Meadowlands Stadium as Carolina crushed the G-Men in Week 16 last year in the final of the old Giants Stadium. The Panthers have opened as seven-point underdogs.

Carolina really needs to be strong in the next five games because that stretch likely will determine its NFL betting lines with four of the games at home and only one against a playoff team from last year (Cincinnati) although the Bears and Niners could be in 2010. Should be interesting to see what Peppers does against Panthers star tackle Jordan Gross in that Chicago game.

That next three-game stretch also isn't that bad. Sure, the Saints are defending champs, but Carolina gave them trouble last year, winning the season finale at home (when New Orleans had zip to play for). Carolina has have won 11 of its last 15 against the Saints and hasn't been swept by them since 2001. The Panthers swept the Bucs last year and are 11-3 against them since 2003. The Rams haven't won at home since midway through the 2008 season.

Baltimore will be tough to beat before the Panthers could see Delhomme when they go to Cleveland on Nov. 28, although if Delhomme plays like he did last year he'll be benched by then. That matchup with Arizona is strangely the ninth year in the past 10 these two have played. Carolina has won six consecutive regular-season games over the Cardinals.

It's clear not much is expected of Carolina considering its only prime-time schedule game is that Week 16 matchup in Pittsburgh. The Panthers aren't a very good cold-weather team so it's hard to see them winning there.

If Matt Moore is just OK, this schedule really seems quite easy. I'd say that eight wins is probably very doable and that 'over' 7.5 seems like a lock, although the NFL Power Rankings indicate this is not a playoff team.

Doc Moseman is one of the pioneers of college football and the NFL Handicapping industry. Check out his Web site for up-to -the-minute NFL Odds and his famous winning college football and NFL picks.

After winning the NFC South divisions of the NFL in 2008-09, the Carolina Panthers finished with an 8-8 on NFL Picks in 2010-11, 3rd in the division. The Panther had high expectation coming into last season but quarterback Jake Delhomme had a less than spectacular season and that got him a one way ticket out of Charlotte. Last year the Panthers offense struggled, especially in the passing game, averaging only 174.9 and that was 27th in the National football League, The running game was very good, the tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart was 3rd in the entire NFL averaging a little over 156 yards per game, Stewart led the team with 1,133 yards. Carolina scored 19 points per game which was not exactly spectacular. The Carolina Panther defense gave up 315.8 yards per game, 8th in the league, the pass defense was the units strong point as opposing quarterbacks threw for 191 yards per game and that was 4th in the entire NFL, the run defense led by linebacker Jon Beason gave up a 124.8 yards per game. As far as the team was for sports bettors, they were 9-7 against the spread, going over the betting odds total 6 times and under 10 times.

Panthers coach John Fox and the Panthers will be faced with Delhomme, the quarterback who led the team to their first and only superbowl appearance. Incumbent Matt Moore played at the end of the season and performed admirably but this sports handicapper doesn't think he is the answer and apparently neither does the Panthers management, the team drafted high profile quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame in the 3rd round and University of Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike in the 6th round. Carolina is strong up front on the offensive line and the team may have the best tandem of running backs in all of football with Williams and Stewart, the tandem will be even better this season and we really believe Jonathan Stewart will have a breakout season, becoming one of the best backs in the NFL. Wide receiver Steve Smith will have another great season, there is no problem with his confidence and he will back it up every time.

Carolina also parted ways with longtime defensive end Julius Peppers, who has a much talent as anyone at the position has ever had, I mean anyone and Peppers is not that old, this will hurt Carolina. Middle linebacker Jon Beason is becoming one of the best in the National Football League, he's just a tad behind Ray Lewis when it comes to intensity and hitting, this guy can flat out play. cornerback Chris Gamble is the stud in the defensive backfield but the guy on the other side isn't bad either, Richard Marshall could easily have a pro bowl season. The Panthers lack of experience at the quarterback position will be the only thing holding them out of the 2010-11 playoffs.

Greg C Nelson

As training camp has emerged creating a vast set of emotions of both hope for rookies and redundant routines for veterans, it is never to early to began the rampant speculations surrounding the issue of how the teams will look in the standings come season end. Through my knowledge of the sport and teams, as well as careful analysis of recent off-season acquisitions and losses, I have come up with a forecast of how I expect each team to finish in its respective division. Continuing with the presence of challenging divisions as seen by the NFC East, the NFC South also provides a dilemma in terms of deciding the rankings.

When looking at the Carolina Panthers, the first idea that springs to me is the incredible year Jake Delhomme is going to have. I have always been a firm supporter of him and look for an incredible season stats wise which will put Delhomme in contention for the MVP title. With the addition of Keyshawn Johnson, who I deem as underrated, and possibly the best receiver in the game in Steve Smith, Delhomme is going to have all the necessary weapons to have a breakout season and surprise many doubters. However, while Delhomme will prove his elite status in terms of quarterbacks, I do have some doubts about the rest of the team. With a hard schedule facing the Panthers in the midst of the NFC South as well as no real running back, there are some questions whether the Panthers can continue to have another playoff season. Due to the lack of a serious running back, a lot of Delhomme's success will come through such an attribute but will also seriously wear him down during the duration of the season causing the Panthers to lose a few games. Nevertheless, I still expect a strong season from this team making a serious run at a wildcard spot.

Like I predicted the Washington Redskins to fall in my NFC East predictions article, I expect a similar type of season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While his father may tend to disagree with me, I am not a strong supporter of Chris Simms regardless of the few aberrations he may of have last season. I do like Carnell Williams but also expect him to go through a sophomore slump during the duration of the season unable to perform any miracles. Tampa's wide receivers are also mediocre as I believe Joey Galloway, who is injury prone to begin with, had a breakout season and will not match his production of last year. While the team has a decent defense, I cannot see it carrying the Buccaneers to a succession of victories with such a sub par offense. With a hard schedule also in hand, John Gruden may be facing unemployment at season's end when Tampa Bay is far out of the playoffs.

The team that may surprise football fans the most this season is the New Orleans Saints. Decimated last year due to Hurricane Katrina, the Saints, like the Eagles, will ride this season on the basis of emotions. While the team may not have the necessary tools to make it to the playoffs, the Saints will definitely be in the hunt all the way up to seasons end. With the addition of Reggie Bush and Drew Brees, two powerhouses, an already potent offense will get even stronger added to the likes of Mcallister, Horn, and Stallworth. I also like the change in coaching as it was time for Jim Haslet to leave beginning a new era for this club. While the defense is still mediocre at best, again this season is going to rely on the chemistry and emotions shared between players and fans; this will be a season that all of New Orleans will be proud about.

Like the Eagles, Rams, or Packers of last season, the Atlanta Falcons seemed to have faded by missing the playoffs with a team similar to the one that went to the NFC Championship game a year prior. While it can be argued that the team had a tough schedule, it seemed that there were a lot of intangibles that yielded such a disappointing season. With Michael Vick having problems with his offensive nature and even to have claimed to be not playing to the best of his abilities one game, such a situation can be argued to be grim news for Falcons. However, as Vick has come out and said he is going to improve this team next season, I firmly believe such a sentiment with increase the moral of his team and will look for a great season for the Falcons. I am a believer in Jim Mora, and with key additions such as John Abraham to an already bolstered defense, the Falcons should recoup like the Eagles, Packers, and Rams and make the playoffs.

Final NFC South Season Standings (*demonstrates making the playoffs):

1.*Atlanta: 11-5

2. Carolina: 10-6

3. New Orleans: 8-8

4. Tampa Bay: 4-12

Dennis Biray presents advice on all kinds of topics ranging from finance and investing to fitness to sports. For more information email him at dbiray@gmail.com, or to view other articles written by him visit http://www.biraynetworks.co.nr/.

The Carolina Panthers head into the 2010 season off an 8-8 record and third place finish in the NFC South. It was a disappointing finish, as the Panthers came into the 2009 season with high expectations after finishing 12-4 in 2008. A big reason for the Panther's drop off in 2009 was the play of quarterback Jake Delhomme, who started only 11 games before being benched. The Panthers will not be able to put the blame on Delhomme this season, as they cut Delhomme this past offseason. The Panthers are trying to get younger at a number of positions, and here is a look at what they will send onto the field this season.

Offense:

The Panthers will likely start the season with Matt Moore at quarterback, as Moore really impressed the organization with his play over the final five games, leading the Panthers to four wins in his five starts. The Panthers did draft Jimmy Clausen in the second round, and he will compete right away in training camp for the starting job with Moore.

The strength of this unit is the running game, as the Panthers have a deadly 1-2 punch in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. In 2009 Stewart led the way with 1,133 yards, but Williams was right behind him with 1,117 yards. The first time two backs from the same team both rushed for more than 1,100 yards. This duo will have to be even better in 2010 if this team is going to win the NFC South.

Luckily for the Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith will likely be ready for the start of the season, after breaking his arm playing flag football this offseason. Smith is the only proven weapon the Panthers have in the passing game, and they need him to bounce back with a big time season in 2010. The Panthers drafted LSU wide out Brandon LaFell, and he will battle Dwayne Jarrett for the No. 2 spot.

The Panthers have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL heading into the 2010 season. Left tackle Jordan Gross is coming off a broken leg from last season, but is expected to be ready to go for training camp. The only change up front will come at right guard, as Mackenzy Bernadeau is expected to take over for the departed Keydrick Vincent.

Defense:

The Panthers biggest lost this offseason was defensive end Julius Peppers, and there is no question that this team is going to miss his production this season. With Peppers gone it leaves the Peppers pretty weak at the defensive end position. Veteran Tyler Brayton is back after starting 15 games in 2009, but he will have plenty of competition for his job from Everette Brown and Charles Johnson. The Panthers also lost starting defensive tackles Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis. That leaves Louis Leonard, Tank Tyler, Corvey Irvin, and Nick Hayden fighting for playing time at the demanding positions inside.

The Panthers have one of the top middle linebackers in the game in Jon Beason, but will likely be without starting outside linebacker Thomas Davis for most of the upcoming season, and the team decided not to bring back 2009 starter Na'il Diggs. Heading into camp it looks like Jamar Williams and James Anderson have the early edge to start.

In the secondary the Panthers welcome back the starting duo of Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble at the two corner spots, but the Panthers will have to make a change at free safety after trading Chris Harris back to the Bears. Sherrod Martin figures to take over for Harris, with Charles Godfrey back at strong safety.

Prediction - 3rd NFC South: I know there are some that believe this team has enough to win the South this season, but I don't think they are better than either the Falcons or Saints heading into the 2010 season. I think the offense will be just fine with either Moore or Clausen at quarterback, but I just think there are too many changes on the defensive side for this team to stop the high powered passing attack of New Orleans or the running game of the Falcons.

For a complete look at the upcoming season check out our 2010 NFL predictions. If you plan on betting the NFL this season, make sure to check back before each week for our live NFL odds feed that ensures you the best possible odds for every game.